Defence chief seeks Simon Ekpa’s extradition

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said he hoped that with the arrest of Simon Ekpa, the Finnish Government would extradite him to Nigeria to face justice.

The CDS spoke on the heels of Ekpa’s arrest by the Finnish police on Thursday.

According to a local Finnish publication, Ekpa was arrested alongside four others on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and terrorism financing.

The publication reported that the Finnish Central Criminal Police confirmed the arrests in a statement on Thursday, noting that the other suspects were apprehended for allegedly financing terrorist activities.

“The detention demands are related to a preliminary investigation in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian descent, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” the police said.

Ekpa is accused of coordinating violent actions against civilians and authorities in Nigeria’s South-East region from Finland, using social media platforms to further his agenda.

“Detective Chief Inspector Otto Hiltunen, who leads the investigation, revealed, “The man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels,” the report added.

Reacting to his arrest in a statement, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig-Gen. Tukur Gusau said the CDS is happy over Ekpa’s arrest.

Gusau said Musa wished Ekpa would be brought to Nigeria for trial.

He said, “The CDS is happy with his arrest in Finland, with the hope that this will be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so that he will face justice.”

In 2023, Ekpa was briefly detained on allegations of fundraising fraud.

Ekpa has also gained notoriety for his separatist rhetoric, particularly his calls to disrupt Nigerian elections.

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In 2023, he declared in a widely circulated social media video, “No elections will be held! Nigerian elections will not be allowed in Biafran territory.”

Finnish Police stated that international cooperation has been crucial to the ongoing investigation, with hearings for the suspects scheduled for Thursday.